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Fabian Images |
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Fabian began as a tropical wave that emerged from western Africa on 25 August 2003 and reached hurricane status (winds > 33m/s) at 0000 UTC 30 August (image 4). Fabian reached its peak intensity around 1917 UTC 1 September (between image 5 and 6) when it was 490 km east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands with estimated winds speeds of 125 kt (64 m/s) and a central pressure of 942 mb. Its path curled to the north on a collision course with the island of Bermuda. Eyewitness reports confirm that the eastern fringe of Fabain's eyewall passed over the western end of the island between 1945 and 2115 UTC September 5 (between images 8 and 9) with winds of 100 kt (51 m/s). Fabian continued north then north-northeastward before losing hurricane status on 8 September while located 1300 km east-northeast of Cape Race. |
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Image of Hurricane Fabian on the 5th of September around noon UTC which at this time was a category 3 hurricane. The red dot is the island of Bermuda. This was the worst hurricane to strike Bermuda since 1926, with winds at 100 knots (50 m/s) and causing $300 million in damage. Over the course of its lifespan Fabian caused 8 deaths.
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Sea Surface temperatures prior to the arrival of Fabian were typical for late summer in the Sargasso Sea. Here MODIS derived SST from September 2 shows values around 28°-29°C. Note the cold blotches are bad data and are not true SST.
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8-day composite of SST derived from the nighttime pass of MODIS ending September 13. Notice the large path of cool water left in the wake of Fabian. This water is about 3°C cooler than before Fabians passage (see figure 3). The SST response to Fabian, as with most hurricanes, was not symmetric across Fabian's path. Extreme sea surface cooling only occurs on the right hand side of the hurricane's path.
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